Rishabh Pant can substitute Virat Kohli as Test captain, has the power to take Indian cricket ahead: Sunil Gavaskar

Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday stated Rishabh Pant might be the perfect candidate to steer India in Test cricket following Virat Kohli’s determination to stop as captain. Kohli took the cricketer fraternity without warning by developing with an unexpected determination to surrender the captaincy of the senior nationwide staff in Tests on January 15.

Speaking to India Today Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Sunil Gavaskar stated he has been impressed with the best way 24-year-old Rishabh Pant can shoulder the duty of being the Test captain, highlighting the success Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi took over as India’s captain at a really younger age and went to realize unbelievable success.Virat Kohli on Saturday took to social media to announce his determination to stop Test captaincy. It got here a day after India misplaced a 3-match Test sequence to South Africa in South Africa. Kohli introduced an finish to his 8-year tenure as Test captain throughout which he emerged as India’s most profitable skipper within the longest fort of the sport.Rohit Sharma was not too long ago appointed because the vice-captain of India’s Test staff however he was not a part of the recently-concluded 3-match sequence in South Africa. Rohit took over after Ajinkya Rahane was sacked from the position over dip in kind.Also Read: India’s most profitable Test captain Kohli steps down: 40 wins, 68 matchesIn Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul was Kohli’s deputy in South Africa and the Karnataka batter even captained India within the 2nd Test in Johannesburg when Kohli missed out resulting from a again spasm.Pant has by no means led the senior nationwide staff however Gavaskar believes that he’s an automated choose throughout all three codecs and the selectors might be on the lookout for somebody of his calibre to steer the Test staff.”It’s going to be quite a debate as far as the selection committee is concerned as to who should be taking Indian cricket forward. First of all, it should be someone who is an automatic pick across all formats of the game. Once that happens, it will be a lot easier,” Gavaskar stated.”If you ask me, I am still staying, I would look at Rishabh Pant as next India captain.”For one motive solely, identical to Rohit Sharma was given the captaincy of Mumbai Indians when Ricky Ponting stepped down, take a look at the change in his batting after that. Suddenly the duty of being captain made him convert these lovely cameos of 30s, 40s and 50s into a whole lot, 150s and 200s.”I think that sense of responsibility given to Rishabh Pant will help him score many more of that wonderful hundred he scored at Newlands,” he added.WHY RISHABH PANT?Gavaskar defined why the burden of captaincy might be dealt with by somebody as younger as Pant in Test cricket.”Yes, I am saying that. Tiger Pataudi was captain at the age of 21 under adverse circumstances when Nari Contractor was injured. Look what he did after that. He took to captaincy like duck to water. I think what we have seen with Rishabh Pant as the captain of Delhi Capitals in the IPL, I do believe he has the capability of taking Indian cricket forward and making it a very exciting team to watch,” he added.Virat Kohli took over from MS Dhoni as India’s Test captain halfway throughout a Test sequence in 2014-15 after the latter retired from the longest format of the sport. Kohli helped India regain the No. 1 spot in ICC Test rankings and attain the ultimate of the inaugural version of the World Test Championship in 2021.Under Kohli, India by no means misplaced a Test sequence at dwelling and received their first-ever Test sequence in Australia.However, Kohli’s kind has been below the scanner over the past two years. The India captain, who hit a valiant 79 within the Cape Town Test, hasn’t scored a global hundred since November 2019.